Saturday, August 21, 2010

Terror babies - Sleeper agents in diapers threaten U.S. security

Illegal immigrants having children in the U.S. are called “terror babies” by Texas Republicans who would like for the U.S. constitution to repeal the 14th amendment. The 14th amendment grants U.S. citizenship to all persons born on American soil. Texas congressman Louie Gohmert and state representative Debbie Riddle said that pregnant illegal immigrants come to the U.S. and have babies on the taxpayer’s dime. Then they take their little U.S. citizens home to be trained as deadly sleeper agents, who return as an adults to attack from within.

The terror babies conspiracy

CNN’s Anderson Cooper talked all about the conspiracy theory about terror babies. Texas Republicans Riddle and Gohmert claimed they got the information about the terror babies from conversations with “former FBI officials.”. Gohmert wants the 14th amendment to be changed which is why terror babies were brought up. Riddle explains that immigrant women have children in America “with the nefarious purpose of turning them into little terrorists, who will then come back to the U.S. and do us harm.”

When pressed by Cooper, neither could provide any evidence of the existence of terror babies. Riddle complained on camera that before the taping no one warned her that she would have to come up with actual facts during the interview.

Law makes this scenario unlikely

Think Progress explains that these terror babies are unlikely to exist considering U.S. law. It can be very hard just to get a simple U.S. visa. An officer at the U.S. embassy has to interview these people who will provide evidence of their trip purpose, fingerprints and photos. The purpose in the country is typically to work for those immigrant women who do really have kids in the U.S. who become American citizens.

Anchor babies a slow boat to citizenship

The terror babies idea is an escalated perversion of the “anchor babies” talking point used by Republican senators who argue the 14th amendment needs to be rewritten to curb automatic “birthright citizenship.” It isn’t easier becoming a U.S. citizen by having an anchor baby within the U.S., reports PolitiFact. More than 30 years are wasted in this process. Until kids are 21, children can’t sponsor their parents within the country. Before applying to re-enter the U.S., parents have to then return home for 10 years.

FBI evidence a fabrication}

Cooper interviewed on CNN Tom Fuentes, FBI’s assistant director in international operations from 2004 to 2008, following the terror babies story came out from Gohmert and Riddle. Fuentes said there was never a credible report on terror babies. The Texas Tribune got on this with Elise Hu who wanted to learn about any records made between a former FBI agent and Riddle. Apparently the records were never made.